I Promise
by thenostalgicdreamer
Summary: A series of promises that Dez makes to Trish
1. Chapter 1

"It's hopeless. We're stuck in here," Trish said banging on the practice room door one last time. She flopped down on the couch with a sigh.

"I've got an idea," Dez said with a smile. Even though it was kind of a drag that Austin and Ally had locked them in, he had a feeling that the whole experience was going to be a lot of fun.

"I've had enough of your ideas. It's your fault we're here anyway. If you would have stopped arguing with me about what's the best pizza topping even one hour sooner, Austin and Ally wouldn't have done this to us. I suggest you LEAVE ME ALONE." Trish turned to face the wall as soon as she finished.

Dez knew that he had to get her to engage with him or they'd never get out. They had to solve this problem together. Somehow, despite her attitude he just knew they could. "I know it might seem like I'm trying to make your life miserable, but I'm not. I promise. If you'll just listen, I have some ideas of how we can get out of here. Won't you please listen?" he pleaded.

"Okay," Trish said reluctantly. Even though she had acted like she hated him from the start, he had also picked up on the fact she was impressed by him at the same time, and he was definitely going to use that now.

"As I see it, all we have to do is convince Austin and Ally that we're friends, and they'll let us out and never lock us up again. I think that maybe if we get a talking dog to tell the story of how we became friends Austin and Ally would actually listen."

Trish crossed her arms. "Are you out of your mind? There are no talking dogs, and Ally would never go for something like that."

Dez's face brightened as another idea came to him. "Then, I have another idea. How about we do a dance?"

"A dance? How would that help?"

"It'll show off our natural chemistry and leave them doubtless of the fact that we'll always get along."

"What?" Trish barked. "We don't have chemistry."

"Well, I'm an artist, and artists see possibilities everywhere," Dez explained.

"Whatever. So genius, how do we start? It's not like we know a dance or anything." Trish sounded unconvinced.

"Easy-peasy. My aunt's a choreographer, and I've been training under her for years. I've got just the idea…" Dez pulled his phone out of his pocket and began searching for the perfect song.

"Okay…since it's our best bet I'll go for it."

"This is going to work. I promise," Dez said looking up from his phone. "Just you wait."

* * *

 **Author's note: This is a the start of a new series that will tell Trish and Dez's love story focusing on promises that Dez makes to Trish over the years. I plan on writing between 5-10 short chapters for this one. I hope the idea of Dez making promises isn't out-of-character and that you enjoy my version of the "fix fic".**


	2. Chapter 2

The more they walked, the more Dez regretted his decision to take a morning walk in the jungle. The thick, lush trees all looked alike making it difficult for him to determine which way he and Trish were heading. The air was thick and stale, and the shade did little to block the morning sun. Dez could feel the sweat beading up on every part of his body. Worst of all, the jungle around them was far from quiet. He could hear crickets, birds, and unknown insects. Besides, there were unseen dangers looming—poisonous snakes and Big Mama.

Despite all of the hardships they faced, Trish continued to trudge silently along. As he watched her walk, Dez couldn't noticing her shudder at the smallest noises—his foot catching on a vine, a butterfly fluttering by. _Was it she afraid?_ he wondered. At first, it seemed well nigh impossible. This was Trish he was talking about—the bravest girl he had ever met. He had never seen her afraid of anything be it a person, animal, or unfamiliar situation. But every other possibility he considered didn't make sense making it all too apparent that Trish was indeed feeling scared.

With that thought, guilt filled his heart. Trish had not been planning on taking a walk. If he hadn't told her that he wanted to go and was too afraid to go alone, she wouldn't have gone at all. Doubtless, she had known that the real and imagined dangers of the excursion would be too much for her. He couldn't help feeling frustrated at himself for being so unkind. Knowing that he would be furious if someone did this to his little sister only made him feel worse.

In his frustration, his own fears somehow got lost in the shuffle. If there was anything he could do to right this wrong, he would. It didn't matter if he was jumpy-he would not act like a jerk. He would take charge of the situation and try to change it for the better.

"You know we're going to get back okay, right?" he ventured, mustering up all of his courage.

"Who are you to talk?" Trish spat angrily. "You're the one who got us into this mess." She turned around to him and scowled.

"I know, and I'm going to do my best to get us out of here. I promise," he said tenderly. With a sudden surge of bravery, he stepped beyond her into the lead and grabbed her hand. To his surprise, she took it without resisting. "I think this path to the left might be the way back…." he began.

* * *

 **Author's note: Thanks for all of your kind words on the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one as well. Just as a side note, the first couple chapters of this story are designed to go along with missing moments from the series.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey Dez," Trish called out to him as he walked the halls of Marino High.

Dez turned around to see the curly headed Latina walking towards him. He couldn't help smiling at the thought that she wanted to talk to him. Although they had hit off when they met, he couldn't help feeling that their relationship had stagnated since then. To his frustration, he had noticed Trish intentionally keep her distance leaving the unspoken chemistry he had noticed from the beginning lie untapped. He wanted to know her better, but he couldn't do that when she stayed away. But here she was seeking him out. Maybe things were finally starting to change.

Once she caught up to him, she spoke again. "Want to hear the latest Trish de La Rosa news?" she said with her usual dramatic flair.

"Oooh, of course, there's nothing I love more than the latest gossip," Dez replied winking at her.

"That's where we run into a problem," she said pointing her finger for emphasis. "This is news, not gossip. Before I can tell you, you must promise not to tell anyone."

"Not even Austin," Dez said hanging his head.

"Especially not Austin and Ally. I know you're a big blabber mouth so just forget I was even ready to tell you anything," Trish ordered.

Dez felt conflicted. Telling other people the latest news was one of his favorite things and not telling his best friend, well, that would be downright painful. But who was he to resist Trish when she clearly was taking a step towards him? He had long been hoping that their friendship could be more than light banter, and this was an opportunity to move things in the right direction.

"No, Trish, I'm trustworthy. I'll keep it to myself. I promise," Dez vowed. "Here," he said making a fist with his pinkie out. "Pinkie promise." He grabbed her hand and moved it towards his own.

Trish wrestled out of his grasp. "No way, you doof," she said. "Get your hands off of me."

"Okay," Dez relented. "I just wanted to make sure I'd remember," he said with a pout. "Please."

"Alright," she said reluctantly interlocking his little finger with her own. "I'll do it for you."

As he looked down at their intertwined pinkies, his heart filled with joy. In it, he saw not a pinkie promise between friends, but the beginning of the future that he had always seen for their relationship. He couldn't be more excited.

Trish looked up at him and clearly caught the joy on his face. "What?" she asked seriously. "Take that back," she before he could answer. "It's you. I don't really want to know."

Dez laughed. He honestly didn't care. All he was thinking about was the big juicy tidbit. "And what did you want to tell me?"

"Yeah, that," Trish laughed. "I'm dating Trent."

"Oh wow," Dez said. He couldn't help but feel happy to think of one of his friends finding love. "That's great. He's awesome, and that's just talking about his moves. Thanks for telling me, Trish. I hope you're happy." He bent down and threw his arms around her neck.

"I am," she said earnestly. "He's amazing."

"Then, I'm happy too," he said, and he couldn't mean it more.


	4. Chapter 4

_Austin must be here,_ Dez thought as he climbed the Sonic Boom stairs. Zaliens had been on his brain all afternoon, but he had been unable to find someone to play with him. He could just find a random virtual opponent to play with, but that didn't sound very fun. Spending time with someone he cared about had always been one of his favorite reasons to playing video games. Playing a random person didn't do it. Once he reached the open doorway, he glanced around the practice room. Not finding Austin, Dez was about ready to turn around and leave when he noticed Trish sitting on the floor in the corner with hands around her knees.

"Go away!" she barked without looking up.

The way that she said it, however, made it clear to him that there was way he could obey her order. If he had learned anything from his past experiences with bullying, it was that bullying was a deeply painful experience. Without the support of his family and friends, he knew that he never would have survived. Surveying the situation, he knew right away that Trish was no shape to be left alone. Not knowing when or if Austin and Ally would show up, he had to stay.

He settled into the chair across from where Trish was planted pondering an appropriate response. Seeing her so broken tore him up inside. She was just too beautiful-inside and out-that the thought that someone would do something so cruel to her was unimaginable. Didn't they know that behind the bravado and confidence lay a girl who struggled with insecurities? And besides no one was really strong enough to handle something so unfair on their own. Glancing over at her again, he felt that he could see the struggle inside her. Doubtless, she was beating herself over the head with the same words the bullies had said repeating them over and over in her head until she believed they were true.

"You _do_ know it's all not true, Trish?" he asked breaking the silence.

To his surprise, she lifted her gaze at his words revealing a pale face with dark circles under her eyes. "Nothing could be farther from the truth. You're beautiful and charming and talented." He smiled, and he saw a little smile pass across her face. "Heck, there's no one I'd rather share the stage with than you."

He leaned back in his chair. "Austin and I are on this. We'll find find who's responsible, I promise. Everything's going to be alright. Just wait and see," he said confidently.

After a moment's pause he added, "Come, play Zaliens with me. I've been looking for someone to play with me all afternoon."

"No," she said in almost whisper. "I think I'll stay here."

"Come on, Trish. It'll be fun."

"No, thanks. Can't you tell I'm not in the mood?" she said with a laugh that was shallow and half-hearted.

Dez was silent as he thought of what to do next. He had to get her out of the solitary practice room and get her mind off the hurtful words. His face lit up with excitement as the first good idea hit him. "I need someone to take my ego down a few notches. I've got the high score on the brainsuck game," he said with a smile knowing Trish could never resist a friendly challenge.

"You win. Darn you, Dez. You know me too well," she laughing despite herself.

"Let's go suck some brains," he said taking her clammy hand and leading her down the stairs.


	5. Chapter 5

Dez was leaving for LA in the morning, and he was not ready to go. His room was a complete wreck with his suitcases far from packed. Yet, he found himself outside the music factory with no explanation other than the fact that he knew he had to go talk to Trish.

As he opened the door, his eyes scanned the room noting all the changes that had made as Trish had made it her own. Purple and green neon lights lined the walls, and all the accents were zebra print. Although the decor was bold and in-your-face, it somehow managed to calm and inspiring at the same time. Trish herself sat in the middle of black sofa where she was staring at her laptop.

He cleared his throat wanting to make sure she was aware of his presence. "Trish?" he ventured.

She didn't even turn around. "Tri-sh," he said louder this time. When she failed to respond again. he wondered why he had even come out. He didn't have time to be there, and she certainly was busy. What was he doing? They had said their formal goodbyes at Austin and Ally's departures just days before. It wasn't like they were on bad terms or anything. He knew that for sure because the words that she had said to him had been nothing but kind. But his attitude—that was where he had a problem. As the days had passed, Dez had felt worse and worse about how he had treated Trish when she had been deciding what to do about the music factory. Although she hadn't been upset, he couldn't help feeling that he had been terribly unkind. He just couldn't go to LA leaving it unsettled.

Just when Dez had forgotten that Trish was still sitting right in front of him, she turned around and spoke to him, "Dez, can't you see I'm busy? Oh, I scared you," she laughed. "Sorry. I've just actually got to get work done now that you all are gone. I was just getting going with the class schedules."

Her briskness hurt him. Here he was doing the right thing, and she was merely brushing him aside like it didn't matter. She doesn't know, he had to remind himself. His voice quivered as he replied, "But I have something to say to you, and I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Can't you just take a minute?" He attempted his best pouty lip hoping it would make her change her mind.

"Okay," she said, "what's on your mind?" She patted the couch next her and closed her laptop.

Dez came and sat down beside her. "I'm sorry I'm pressured you to stay at the music factory. It wasn't fair of me. It's just that this place means so much to me. Before Austin and I came here, I was just a kid with a dream, and this place grew me. I want that for other kids. That's why this is so important to me. But that was cheesy of me. I'm sorry. "  
"It's okay. I forgive you, Dez, and it's all worked out great. Don't you worry about it," she said patting his shoulder.

He sighed loudly before standing up. "I have to get back to packing, but I will return. As soon as I can, I will come back and help you. I promise."

Trish smiled and threw her arms around him. "Thanks, Dezzy. That means a lot."

Just then, Dez heard his name echo through the music factory. His mom was calling. "I really got to go, Trish, but I'll see you when I come back."

"Good luck, Dez," Trish said as she settled on the couch again. "See you later."

* * *

 **Author's note: This one is supposed to be a missing scene from musicals and moving on. I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think and whether or not you're enjoying this series.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Look at this picture Ally sent me," Trish said elbowing Dez. Now that he and Trish were running the music factory together, they regularly spent afternoons on the couch in the lobby working on the business side of things. Maybe sometimes their work sessions weren't the most productive with one or the other of them sure to get distracted. However, Dez wouldn't have traded the time he got to spend with Trish for the world.

Glancing at the picture on her phone put a smile on his face. "Awww," he said expressing the joy he felt at their happiness. "I can't believe it's been six months since they left. I miss their too-long-hugs and obnoxiously wet kisses so much."

"Me too," Trish added. Ever since he had returned from college, he had noticed this new grace and maturity that she hadn't had before. The past four years had been good to her. The sweetness of her tone only served to remind him of how much he admired her now. They had been just friends before, but now he couldn't stop thinking about the possibility of being more.

"Have you ever thought that you and I are destined for a romance just as epic as theirs?" Dez asked. He immediately doubted the wisdom of his words knowing that she was sure to react. But now they were said, and there was no way he could take them back.

"Together?" Trish asked. "Ewww." Her nose in this way that was too cute for words making Dez laugh.

"Don't be so quick to brush your feelings aside. I know you like me. Come on, admit it!" he said elbowing her playfully hoping to somehow lighten the mood.

" _Alright,_ I like you better than I did before," Trish conceded. "But that doesn't mean that I want to have an epic romance with you."

"So you want a not-so-epic one then?" Dez interjected. "That won't even be hard."

"You doof," Trish said gently. "I don't want to hurt your feelings, but what I'm saying is that I don't want to date you."

"Ohhhhh," Dez said trying to act he had known all along. He hated feeling like he was missing things, and it really hadn't made a lot of sense that she would want to turn down an epic romance. "I don't know what's so scary about the whole thing. It's not like I'm going to sneak up on you and steal a kiss or something. I care about you, Trish-so much. Surely, you know. And that chemistry I've been telling you about for years-it's only gotten better. Haven't you noticed that we make such a good team? You keep my feet on the ground, and I make sure you get your adventures. Together, who knows what we could be?"

"Won't you give it a chance? For us? For everything we could be together?" Dez pleaded.

"When you put it like that, I just might," Trish said seriously.

"In that case, I'll take back what I was saying about the not-so-epic romance. I'll make sure you get an epic one. Like Austin and Ally but even better because it's us. I promise," Dez said placing his hand over his heart.

"Shut up, you sap," Trish said. She leaned over and planted a kiss on a face.

"You silly," Dez laughed when they broke apart. "Here you were all worried about sneaking up and kissing you. And then you stole my first kiss."

"What? that was your first kiss?" Trish was suddenly serious.

"Why would I kiss some other girl when I knew in my heart that I was waiting for you?" Dez asked.

"Have I told you, you're the best?" she asked.

"Sure, but I'll take it again." Dez said leaning down to kiss her. If the fireworks he felt inside were any indication, this was going to be epic. He just knew it.

* * *

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this. I rewrote this like five times, but I'm still not completely happy with it. I guess love confession scenes just aren't my forte. Anyway, stay tuned since I have three more chapters planned for this story before I'm done with it.**


	7. Chapter 7

"Do you, Trish, take Dez to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Dez heard a voice say. His eyes were not on the speaker but on Trish who stood in front of him in glorious perfection. Her dress was absolutely divine, and her hair was in these glossy ringlets that he wanted to twirl around his fingers. Yet, it was her face that held his attention.

"I do," she said quietly. Her expression was decidedly calm. Expecting her usual fire, he was surprised to see her largely emotionless reaction. He was over-the-moon with happiness himself and expected her to show the same enthusiasm. Yet, she was strangely quiet.

He couldn't help feeling slightly nervous as his part began. Perhaps she was having second thoughts. He took a deep breath knowing that she was waiting for him regardless. "Patricia Maria De La Rosa," he said smiling at her. "You captivated me from the day I met you. You are so beautiful inside and out. You are a gem—bold and strong. You are the best girl I've ever met. Everyday you inspire me to be a better man. I love you, and I promise to be good to you."

He smiled even bigger thinking about what was coming next. He hadn't thought that Trish would agree to writing their own vows especially when he had insisted that she couldn't read his in advance, but she had. "I promise to take out the trash, rub your feet when you're tired, try my _absolute_ best to avoid calling you wifey, and order you pepperoni pizza even though it's gross…."

"Dez!" Trish practically shouted. It made his heart leap to see the fire in her eyes. He was sure he would never hear the end of that one.

He winked at her. "That was just for you, my dear," he said quietly. He stared into her eyes as he continued "I promise to be your devoted husband for the rest of my life." The softness in her expression reminded him of how much she loved him relieving much of his anxiety.

The officiant's words snapped him out of his thoughts. "Do you, Dez, take Trish to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I promise," Dez said. "Yeah, I mean I do…."

"You may kiss the bride."

Dez couldn't help whispering everything that had been going through his head first. "You do know that this is going to be amazing, right? Our life is going to be adventure of the best kind. And we get to go on our honeymoon today!"

Trish laughed. "Everybody heard that."

"Oh," Dez whispered. "I guess we'll have to talk more later."

"Yeah," Trish said. "And I think they're all waiting for us kiss."

"Oh, yeah that," Dez laughed. "I'd be happy to oblige them then." As he leaned in to kiss her, he couldn't help thinking that everything would be alright. Maybe standing in front of everyone and making promises wasn't her thing, but that was okay. She didn't have to good at weddings when there would only ever be one. And from today on, it would just the two of them.

* * *

 **Author's note: Thank you for all of your kind words on the last chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed it. At this point, I think we'll have three more promises.**


	8. Chapter 8

Motion from Trish's side of bed roused Dez from his peaceful slumber. As he opened his eyes, he came aware of a noise—Trish was crying.

He hated to be woken up in the night, but Trish didn't usually cry. Or at least she hadn't until her pregnancy. The last eight months had been absolutely brutal, and it seemed like Trish was upset about something or other all the time. He put his hand on her shoulder knowing that he had to calm her down before they could both get the sleep they desperately needed. "Trish, what's the matter?" he asked gently.

"It hurts," Trish sobbed. "I'm just so uncomfortable. I can't sleep at all. I'm so tired. Today was so long and tiring, and if I don't sleep at all I'm going to feel even worse tomorrow."

"Babe, I'm so sorry," Dez said brushing the hair out of her eyes. "Should I get you a washcloth from the bathroom? Are you hot?"

"That won't help," Trish said clutching her protruding belly. "My body aches all over. I'm never going to make it two more weeks."

"You _can_ make it, Trish," Dez said comfortingly. He moved in closer to her and put his arm around her. "I know you can do it."

"No, I can't. You don't know what you're talking about. You're never going to have a baby," Trish said frustratingly.

Dez sighed inside. Trish could be so irrational when she got into one of her moods. Normally, he just laughed at the conversations the guys at work had about their wives being emotional and unreasonable, but her moodiness during the pregnancy gave him sympathy for what the other guys put up with on a regular basis. "I know, but I believe in you. You can do this. You have made it through challenging eight months. You've taken such great care of yourself and little Charlie. There's no reason you can't make it through the next two weeks. Trish, you _are_ going to make it, and I'm going to be with you every step of the way. Charlie's going to get here, and you're going to forget any of this even happened. Just think about how perfect he's going your curly black hair and the smirk of mine you love so much..."

"His hair is going to brown," Trish said laughing.

"Either way, the point is that he is going to get here, and all of this is going to be worth it. I promise."

"You're right," Trish conceded.

"Of course, I am," Dez laughed. "Here let's see if we can rest. Even just a little more rest will do you good."

"Come here," he said pulling her over by the arm. Lately, Trish hadn't been too keen on resting on him, but perhaps if he could get her close enough that she could hear his heartbeat, it would calm her down like it usually did.

"It won't work," Trish whined. "You're going to get smashed."

"Nonsense," Dez said. "If you can carry a baby all the time, I can carry you. Here."

He stroked her hair. "There. There. It's all going to be okay. You'll see. You'll make it. I'm here with you." He wished he didn't have to see Trish suffer, but at least he could be there to walk her through it.

* * *

 **Author's note: Hope you enjoyed this installment. I have two more chapters planned at this point. I'd appreciate your input on the last chapter. I have an idea that's really sad. Would you be up for that or would you prefer one that's a little more upbeat?  
**


	9. Chapter 9

"You nailed it, babe," Dez said pulling Trish down next to him on the couch. He couldn't help smiling at the thought that now that graduation week was over he and Trish could get some much needed downtime. "The party was AWEsome. I'm sure Ivy and her friends are going to remember it for the rest of their lives."

"I sure hope so," Trish sighed. "It was _so_ much work. I could have gone the simple route, but Ivy had her heart set on the perfect 1950s party. And you know how hard she is to refuse."

"No, I'm glad you did," Dez said. He put his arm around Trish and patted her shoulder. He never ceased to be proud of how hard Trish worked. She had a way of being so quiet about the work she did that you thought she was being lazy but really she was one of the hardest working people he knew. "It's not every day our baby girl's going to be graduating from high school. It's definitely something worth celebrating."

"Yeah, I just can't believe she's eighteen already," Trish said. He could sense the sadness in her words, and it touched him deeply. He felt the same way. "It seems like she was little forever."

"I know," Dez said simply.

There were simply not words that could explain the depth of what he was feeling. Both of them were silent for a moment.

But as he reflected it was happy memories not sad ones that flooded his mind. "It probably felt long because we spent years and years chasing her and the boys. I still miss those days. Remember the time Evan decided that he wanted ice cream and tried to walk to Groovy Scoops. That was sure an adventure."

Trish laughed at the memory. "He scared me to death. That one took a few years off of my life for sure. But not as many as you lost when Ivy went out on her first date."

Dez's heart beat faster at the memory. He still didn't like thinking about that one. "Yeah that wasn't so good. Daughter goes on her first date at sixteen cue major dad freakout. But now's not really a good time to talk about that with her leaving for good so soon. I'm still not sure I'm ready. I'm going to miss her so much."

"Me too," Trish said fondly. Dez looked over at her knowing that they were both feeling it. He took her free hand and intertwined her fingers with his own. "It's just going to be us again, and I'm not sure how to feel about that."

"Aw, Trish, you mean you don't want to spend time with me?" Dez said in mock seriousness hoping to lighten the mood.

"You know what I mean. The kids have been around for so long. It's going to hard to get used to them all being gone. It's been awhile since the boys were here, but it's been us and Ivy for so long. Besides, I'm not looking forward to turning into that grandma who just sits in a rocking chair and knits."

Dez brightened at the thought of Trish in a rocking chair. Between the kids and her career, she had been so busy she'd hardly had time to pamper herself. "You know that wouldn't be that terrible. You could get some much needed rest. Besides, you're already rocking the grandma thing and dad's rocking chairs with the dual screen tvs and heated seats are almost as good the hot tub."

Trish's tone was serious when she spoke. "Dez, I just don't want to settle down to a boring life. You've rubbed off on me too much I guess. You know what I mean? I don't want saying goodbye to the kids to mean saying goodbye to fun and adventure."

Dez laughed at her words. Surely she knew that she had given up any hopes of a boring life the day they married. "If that's what you're worried about, you can stop right now. You only know the half of all of the adventures I've got up my sleeve. Do you really think I'd let my wife turn into an old boring grandma?"

"I guess not," Trish said laughing.

"Come on. That would be seriously embarrassing. No way, we're going to find adventure and let find us. I promise. Okay?" he said as he linked her pinky with his own.

"Okay."

"You're such a doof. You know that?" He felt Trish's pointy elbow in his side.

"Of course, why else would you have married me?" he smirked giving it right back to her.

"You stinker." Trish laughed.

Dez couldn't help smiling. They would miss Ivy just like they missed Charlie and Evan, but the next years were going to be good.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this one. I really appreciated your feedback on the last one especially about my sad idea for the last chapter. I've decided to go with it since I feel that it will be touching though sad ending to the series. That said, there will be no character death, so no need to worry about that! :)  
**


	10. Chapter 10

"Trish," Dez said gently. She jumped at his words dropping the piece of toast that she was carefully buttering. Clearly, she had been lost in thought and had forgotten that someone sat across from her at the table. "Are you okay?'

The last twenty-four hours had been much too quiet. After they had gotten home from his doctor's appointment, she had sat and read for most of the day. Trish didn't read much—not normally at least. He had been expecting her to be back to her more talkative self this morning, but she had hardly said anything. He had roused her from her thoughts knowing that they would both feel better once they had talked everything over.

"Yes, Dezzy, I'm doing fine." Her tone was confident, but her eyes never left her toast.

"I know." He grabbed both of her wrinkly hands from across the table and held them in his giving them a gentle squeeze. "That's my brave Trish, always strong no matter what comes her way." In the early days, he had always thought that he was the stronger one because he was the man, but time had proved him wrong. The fire that he so loved in Trish made her her strong even when times got tough. He never ceased to admire her ability to chin up and deal anything in her way.

"I know this isn't going to be easy for you," Dez said. "But I'm going to do my best to walk through it beside you as long as I can. Like the doctor said yesterday, it's not like I'm going to die tomorrow." He massaged her hands before reaching up to turn her still downturned face upward.

The look on her face tore his heart to pieces. "But you're not going to be around forever," she said, voice almost breaking. "You're the one person I need in my life, and I'm going to have to watch you turn into an empty shell of yourself….the…..man I love so much….." She was crying so hard she couldn't go on anymore.

"Oh, Trish," Dez said. Seeing her like this hurt him more than the thought of the suffering that he would have to endure. The tears streamed down his face as he continued. "I'm so sorry. If there was anything….just anything I could do to change this, I would. You know I'd do anything for you, babe, right?"

Trish merely nodded through her tears.

"I was counting on staying here with you until the end of your days and living out the in sickness and health part. But it looks like that's not what's going to happen, and we're going to walk through this as gracefully as we have everything else. We're a team, and we can do anything together, remember?"

"Yeah," Trish sobbed. "But I'm going to have to do this myself. And I can't—not without you."

"Yes," Dez said quietly. "But I'm going to be here with you as long as I can. I'll take the medicine no matter what the side effects and do therapy. I'll do every little thing that I can to help me stay around as long as I absolutely can. And when I can't, you're going to make it on your own. I know you can."

"I'm going to miss you so much," Trish whispered. The tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Me too," Dez said. "I'm not looking forward to forgetting you. You're my woman, the one who's walked beside me all my life and someday I'm not going to know that anymore."

"Come here," Trish said beckoning with her hand. When he came and stood at her side, she wrapped her arms around his waist. "No matter what I'll still love you. You'll always be my favorite Dezzy."

He felt a smile come to his face with her words. He was lucky to have such a loyal wife. "I know," Dez said. "And I'll always love you. No matter what crazy things my brain does, there will always be love in my heart for you. Even when I don't remember you, you can look at me and know that buried inside that empty shell is the heart that loves you."

He knelt beside her chair so she could lean her head on his shoulder. "I love you so much, Trish," he whispered. "And I always will. I promise."

* * *

 **Author's Note: That's the end of this story. Hope you enjoyed this last installment and that I didn't leave you too bad of a place. :) Thank you so much for all of your reviews and favorites. I had so much fun writing this series and your feedback made it that much more enjoyable for me. That said, this is not goodbye. I plan to focus my efforts of finishing Seven Years next. As of right now, I think that I have three chapters to go. Anyway, thanks again.**


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